Well autumn is here. The sun may of shone today and it was very warm but it is safe to say autumn is here. the trees are loosing their leaves fast. It seems to be faster this year than previous but then again as I have said this summer has been rubbish with gales in May, raining most of June, July and August with the tail end of a hurricane in September with lots more rain. Some summer. They are talking about an Indian Summer - I won't hold my breath. Any way enough moaning about the weather.
Time to talk about what has been happening in the centre. The answer is quite a lot since my last entry.
I eventually managed to collect the new Harris Hawk. I have decided to carry on the theme of naming the Harris Hawks after pubs in the West End of Glasgow by naming it Cooper after Coopers which is on Great Western Road. Cooper's training is progressing slowly. I don't like to rush the training so I have been taking the first 10 days or so very easy. The first part is all about getting him used to me and people in general so he has been coming home with me so I can spend some time with him sitting on the glove and he was eating fairly quickly when on the glove. Now that he is standing on the glove confidently I have changed the routine. I have now started walking him round the grounds of the hotel while offering him food to get him used to moving about on the glove. He doesn't seem to impressed with the new routine as he hasn't eaten anything since I started this yesterday but all I can do is offer him food. It is up to him to eat. He already knows how to eat off the glove so he will eat when he is ready. Now he has got to do it while I am walking. At this early stage I try to always feed him off the glove.
He has made quite a bit of progress already. He will stand on the glove, eat off the glove if I sit still, he is getting better at getting weighed and will stand on his bow perch. He is also alot more confident in his pen and out on the front lawn when people walk past him.
The rest of the birds are doing ok. The flying team has been cut back a bit in that as the diary quietens down the team is reduced. Taz (Kestrel) is now in moult (dropping out old feathers and growing in new ones). At the moment he is growing in a whole new tail. Alba (Barn Owl) is also being allowed to moult as Bella the new Barn Owl has been flying very well. I felt Bella was now flying at a standard where I could rely on her. Mardy (Harris Hawk) has also been allowed to start his moult and boy does he need it. He is looking a bit of a mess. I also took the decision to stop flying Bob (Gyr x Saker) yesterday. He has been moulting feathers even though I have been flying him. He was making good progress with his flying to the lure and I am looking forward to flying him next year but he is looking a bit scruffy now so a bit of a moult will be good for him.
While some birds are being a bit of a break after working hard all summer it is time to start working with birds who have been moulting over the summer. Pele (Harris Hawk) flew free today for the first time in 4 months. I just asked him to fly from perch to glove but he did it and was no problem. It will be now a case of building up his fitness. Pele is a great bird to work with. He is 9 years old. One of the original team and the oldest Harris Hawk in the centre. He is also not related to the other 4 Harris Hawks who are all related to each other in some way or another. He tends to be a bit calmer and a bit more calculated than the others. He is normally quite a reliable bird who does all sorts of events for me in the fact that he will do corporate work, small demonstrations, activity days, hawk walks and hunting days.
On the work front things have been up and down. Saying that I have been busy. I have been getting back into the routine of working on my own again after spending the summer having various vet students out helping me so they can learn a little about birds of prey. A big thank you to all the students who came out over the summer to learn and help out in Strathblane Falconry.
There have been a few bookings in the centre and over at Cameron House but 1 does stand out. We were asked to take a team of birds to Bellahouston Park for the BBC Deadly 60 road show (Deadly Day Out). It was a great event to be involved with. It was a long day though. I started at 5am in the centre opening up and loading up cars. I think I finished up at 7pm. So a long day. The only down side was the rain came on in the afternoon. I had 11 birds at it with myself and 3 other people helping me. Guil and Gail were out and about in the crowds with falcons talking to the public while myself and Jo were on the stand where we had the birds sitting out. We talking about how the birds fly, owl pellets and why you shouldn't touch a bird of prey. It was a great opportunity to tell people why they shouldn't stroke birds of prey. On the whole a good day. A big thank you to Jo, Gail and Guil for all their help at this event.
I was also able to go and collect the squirrels which had been culled. I think I got about 50 and I have filled a freezer with then. The birds have been loving them. The eagle, the eagle owls, the buzzard, the Harris Hawks, the flacons have all been eating squirrel. Even Taz (Kestrel) has been eating it. It is good eating for the birds as it is quite a rich meat with no fat. I always try and provide a variety of foods for the birds when I can. I feel there are other benefits other than nutritional. The birds always seem alot more excited when given something other than day old chicks. I like to see it as enrichment for them be it a deers head for Artemis or a mouse for Alba.
The coming weeks are bit quiet at the moment but I am expecting that to change when the October school holidays start. Saying that I am not complaining as it will give me a bit more time to work with Cooper.
595
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Rubbish weather
It's been a while. It's been a month since I last updated my blog. The first part of August may of been a bit slow with bookings the second part of August just flew by. Where to start?
The weather that is where I will start. This summer has been the pits. In August I got to the point where I stopped hoping for the sun to shine and I just hoped it would stay dry each day and even that was to much to hope for on a lot of days. I know that this is Scotland and I know that it will rain at some point over a summer and that there is no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothing but this summer even by Scottish standards has been rubbish. I have spent to whole summer keeping a waterproof jacket close by and I even found myself thinking at the end of August that maybe I should of had thermals on while doing a highland games at Hopetoun House. That's bad! So far September hasn't been much better with talk of the tail end of a hurricane coming into tomorrow and 3 days of rain. Oh great.
On the booking front there has been some good bookings. As mentioned we were back at Hopetoun House for our 4th visit this summer. It has been very much a regular venue for us this summer and what a venue. This time we were back for a highland games. Unfortunately it was a bitterly cold day with gusting winds. This meant that there wasn't a huge number of people attending. Saying that we got a good crowd for our displays and the birds flew well but it was a long day due to the weather.
We were also back at Inveraray Castle for a demonstration for a group visiting the castle. I have said it before but Inveraray Castle is 1 of the most beautiful venues that I get to visit. The timings for the event were thrown into disarray due to the group having to take a detour in getting to the castle due to a traffic accident and the road being closed but they made it and we were able to do the demonstration. The best part was that it has been one of the rare days that the sun has shone this summer.
This weekend we had an event at Lennoxlove House where we were doing a display a group who were having a wedding there. All the birds flew well apart from Sanda who went a landed in a courtyard and became a bit dis-orientated and I had to go and look for her. I found her a short time later and she jumped straight to the glove when she saw me - so it all ended well.
While I have listed 4 of the larger events that we have been doing over the last month there have been many more smaller bookings with up to 4 bookings in a day on some days.
There is another very large high profile booking coming up. At the moment I am not sure if I can say anything but I should know by tomorrow morning as I have a meeting with someone tomorrow about it. It will be happening in the next few weeks. Watch this space.
Now to the birds and how they are getting on. First up Lobey (Turkmanian Eagle Owl). I finished my last blog entry talking about Lobey and saying how he was almost ready to start flying again. Well about 2 days after that entry Lobey was back and flying in bookings so Duffy (Bengal Eagle Owl) is now on a well deserved break and being a typical Bengal Eagle Owl by being a bit grumpy.
Bella the new Barn owl is progressing well and has been flying well in bookings at the centre and at Cameron House. She has really come on leaps and bounds in the last few weeks and is proving to be a lot more reliable.
On the down side I was hoping to have my new Harris Hawk by now as I was meant to go and collect it last Thursday but everything was thrown into to disarray by Oran (Harris Hawk) on Wednesday. I was out flying him with a friend on Wednesday evening and he was playing up. I am not sure why. We were somewhere new but that shouldn't bother him as it has never done so in the past. There was also some heavy showers about and we did get caught in 1 so maybe he just got wet and decided no I'm not playing. Like I said I don't what his problem was. He is normally very reliable so i was really quite disappointed by what was happening. In the end I couldn't get him back and I had to leave him where he was that night.
How wrong was I. Everything was going great right up to the point where Oran was meant to fly to my glove at first light. First light came and Oran flew off and that was the start of a 5 1/2 hour chase through a wood with some of the thickest most overgrown vegetation that I have have ever had to deal with. I had to walk along streams because in place that was the only way through, walk through nettles and brambles that were waist high and I even got bitten by a dog - thankfully it was only a Labrador and I was wearing gaiters so it didn't hurt. When I got him back I was exhausted. It was hard going being only able to follow him as he wouldn't come back to me. All I could do was keep up with him and hope I got a chance to try and catch him - which I did and I took my chance when he swooped down trying to catch something and missed. He flew back up in to a tree but landed on a low branch so I was able to throw food attached to the creance (long line) up at him to get his attention and try and get him to come towards me, which he did. All I can say is thank goodness for the Marshalls Telemetry transmitter that he was wearing and the receiver I was using.
I had to cancel collecting the new Harris Hawk but I should be getting him this week.
Also this coming week I am meeting someone who can supply me with gray squirrels as bird food. They have been trapped to try and stop the spread of them and they want to use them rather than just throw them away. I had a quick chat with the guy and told him that I have a Steppe Eagle and 3 Eagle owls who all love to eat squirrel. They will be say for my birds to eat as they have been trapped and killed by being shot in the head with an air rifle.
Talking of squirrels. I had to use Brel (Harris Hawk) for a hawk walk at Cameron House the other day as Oran was grounded as I had to go and catch him the day before after he flew off. Brel hasn't done a hawk walk at Cameron House for a few years as all I really use him for now is display work. Well we were out flying him and he was looking good when he saw a gray squirrel and he was after it in a shot. It just goes to show you that even though he has never been taken hunting and has only ever caught 1 mouse in the 7 years I have had him he still has the instinct to hunt. It can never be taken out of them. He came very close to catching it.
567
The weather that is where I will start. This summer has been the pits. In August I got to the point where I stopped hoping for the sun to shine and I just hoped it would stay dry each day and even that was to much to hope for on a lot of days. I know that this is Scotland and I know that it will rain at some point over a summer and that there is no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothing but this summer even by Scottish standards has been rubbish. I have spent to whole summer keeping a waterproof jacket close by and I even found myself thinking at the end of August that maybe I should of had thermals on while doing a highland games at Hopetoun House. That's bad! So far September hasn't been much better with talk of the tail end of a hurricane coming into tomorrow and 3 days of rain. Oh great.
On the booking front there has been some good bookings. As mentioned we were back at Hopetoun House for our 4th visit this summer. It has been very much a regular venue for us this summer and what a venue. This time we were back for a highland games. Unfortunately it was a bitterly cold day with gusting winds. This meant that there wasn't a huge number of people attending. Saying that we got a good crowd for our displays and the birds flew well but it was a long day due to the weather.
We were also back at Inveraray Castle for a demonstration for a group visiting the castle. I have said it before but Inveraray Castle is 1 of the most beautiful venues that I get to visit. The timings for the event were thrown into disarray due to the group having to take a detour in getting to the castle due to a traffic accident and the road being closed but they made it and we were able to do the demonstration. The best part was that it has been one of the rare days that the sun has shone this summer.
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| The display team sitting out waiting to start at Inveraray Castle |
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| Midge (White Faced Scops Owl) at Inveraray Castle |
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| Sanda (Lanner Falcon) at Lennoxlove House |
There is another very large high profile booking coming up. At the moment I am not sure if I can say anything but I should know by tomorrow morning as I have a meeting with someone tomorrow about it. It will be happening in the next few weeks. Watch this space.
Now to the birds and how they are getting on. First up Lobey (Turkmanian Eagle Owl). I finished my last blog entry talking about Lobey and saying how he was almost ready to start flying again. Well about 2 days after that entry Lobey was back and flying in bookings so Duffy (Bengal Eagle Owl) is now on a well deserved break and being a typical Bengal Eagle Owl by being a bit grumpy.
Bella the new Barn owl is progressing well and has been flying well in bookings at the centre and at Cameron House. She has really come on leaps and bounds in the last few weeks and is proving to be a lot more reliable.
On the down side I was hoping to have my new Harris Hawk by now as I was meant to go and collect it last Thursday but everything was thrown into to disarray by Oran (Harris Hawk) on Wednesday. I was out flying him with a friend on Wednesday evening and he was playing up. I am not sure why. We were somewhere new but that shouldn't bother him as it has never done so in the past. There was also some heavy showers about and we did get caught in 1 so maybe he just got wet and decided no I'm not playing. Like I said I don't what his problem was. He is normally very reliable so i was really quite disappointed by what was happening. In the end I couldn't get him back and I had to leave him where he was that night.
How wrong was I. Everything was going great right up to the point where Oran was meant to fly to my glove at first light. First light came and Oran flew off and that was the start of a 5 1/2 hour chase through a wood with some of the thickest most overgrown vegetation that I have have ever had to deal with. I had to walk along streams because in place that was the only way through, walk through nettles and brambles that were waist high and I even got bitten by a dog - thankfully it was only a Labrador and I was wearing gaiters so it didn't hurt. When I got him back I was exhausted. It was hard going being only able to follow him as he wouldn't come back to me. All I could do was keep up with him and hope I got a chance to try and catch him - which I did and I took my chance when he swooped down trying to catch something and missed. He flew back up in to a tree but landed on a low branch so I was able to throw food attached to the creance (long line) up at him to get his attention and try and get him to come towards me, which he did. All I can say is thank goodness for the Marshalls Telemetry transmitter that he was wearing and the receiver I was using.
I had to cancel collecting the new Harris Hawk but I should be getting him this week.
Also this coming week I am meeting someone who can supply me with gray squirrels as bird food. They have been trapped to try and stop the spread of them and they want to use them rather than just throw them away. I had a quick chat with the guy and told him that I have a Steppe Eagle and 3 Eagle owls who all love to eat squirrel. They will be say for my birds to eat as they have been trapped and killed by being shot in the head with an air rifle.
Talking of squirrels. I had to use Brel (Harris Hawk) for a hawk walk at Cameron House the other day as Oran was grounded as I had to go and catch him the day before after he flew off. Brel hasn't done a hawk walk at Cameron House for a few years as all I really use him for now is display work. Well we were out flying him and he was looking good when he saw a gray squirrel and he was after it in a shot. It just goes to show you that even though he has never been taken hunting and has only ever caught 1 mouse in the 7 years I have had him he still has the instinct to hunt. It can never be taken out of them. He came very close to catching it.
567
Thursday, 11 August 2011
Where is the summer
The last 2 days have been rubbish. It has rained almost constantly and the booking that we had yesterday and the 1 we had today both cancelled. This is August - the sun is meant to shine. I heard that Glasgow had had 1 of the wettest 24hrs in August since records started and it doesn't look like it is going to get any better over the next few days.
The last 2 weeks have been interesting and very busy at times. Since my last post we have done the Hopetoun House International Horse Trials. This was an all weekend event. We took a big team of birds - 11 in total and I also had an extra person helping me - so there was 3 of us in total at it. A big thank you to Jo and Becky. I said in my last entry that it was great venue, well on the Sunday it was even better due to the cross country course going round 3 sides of the area where we were doing our static and flying displays. The birds all took it in their stride on the Sunday even though there was horses galloping past them for most of Sunday afternoon.
The displays went well. We had to do 2 flying displays each day. All the birds flew well. I put Bob (Gyr x Saker) into the display on Saturday. I was a bit worried about this. Even though he had been flying well at the centre and out on the farm, this was his first flying display and there is always that little bit of doubt at the back of my mind when a bird does it's first display. There was nothing to worry about though as he flew well and looked very good. In fact he looked so good on the Saturday that I flew him on the Sunday as well. The only down side is that I will now not use Bob for hunting crows as he is now part of the display team. The weekend was a long 1 as I was in the centre for 5am to open up, clean the centre and load the van to go through to Hopetoun House for 8.30am. We would finish up at 8pm.While it was a long 2 days with alot of hard work it was great fun and I loved every minute of it. The event was well run and everybody knew what they were doing.
And then July was over.
While July was finishing being very busy, August started quietly with no bookings for the first 2 days. This was great as it allowed me to get things back to normal after the weekend at Hopetoun House. The birds that were at Hopetoun House got a few days to relax and the birds that weren't used were readied for up and coming events. Things this month have been either very busy with 3 or 4 bookings in a day or nothing on. On the 5th Aug we had 2 corporate events to do at 2 different locations. Thankfully the venues were only a few miles apart so it was relatively easy to do. 1 was just outside Balloch and then it was down the road to Cameron House for the next 1 in the walled garden. Once we had finished the 1 in the walled garden we had to set up for a family fun session at our aviaries on the front lawn. So in the end we did 3 bookings in 3 different places. A big thank you to Stephanie who helped me that day.
The last few days have been the exact same either very busy or very quiet. Saying that now that it has rained for the last 2 days it has been very quiet. I haven't been able to fly the birds for myself due to the rain. The falcons haven't flown in a week due to work and weather which is not great. I have also been trying to fly Bella the new Barn Owl, but it has been difficult to get any consistency with her due to work and the weather. Jo has been a big help by flying her after she has finished work for the day. Bella has been a little bit skittish recently. Some days she has been very good but other days she can be spooked by cars coming into the car park which she has seen loads of time but some days it just spooks her. I am not sure what her problem is but hopefully by trying to fly her everyday we will get it sorted. Saying that she hasn't flown the last 2 days due to the rain but then again nothing has flown over the last 2 days. All I have been doing is cancelling bookings.
The only thing that I have been able to do over the last 2 days was a photo shoot for Glasgow Warriors rugby club. They are playing the Newcastle Falcons this Friday and wanted some pictures of some of the players standing with a few falcons for promotional purposes. The rain eased to a drizzle so we were able to get the photo shoot done. Good luck to the Warriors for the match this Friday.
While the weather and bookings have been making it difficult to work with the birds the 1 thing that doesn't stop is the constant rotation of birds (who's flying and who is being given a break to moult). The bird I am most excited about at the moment is Lobey (Turkmanian Eagle Owl). Lobey
To give you a bit of background on Lobey. He was the first bird I ever owned and he has proved to be real star. Always reliable around the centre, at Cameron House and corporate events. He is a bit of a character and I do need to watch him when he is flying as he is entered and has caught 7 rabbits, 1 hedgehog and chased most things that move even though he hasn't been trained or encouraged to hunt. I am looking forward to him being back on line. He will be replacing Duffy (Bengal Eagle Owl) who has been flying for a year now.
Lobey has about 2oz to loose in weight and then he should be good to go.
The other big news is that I should be able to get the new Harris Hawk sometime in the first full week of September. I spoke to the breeder today and everything is going ok with it.
519
The last 2 weeks have been interesting and very busy at times. Since my last post we have done the Hopetoun House International Horse Trials. This was an all weekend event. We took a big team of birds - 11 in total and I also had an extra person helping me - so there was 3 of us in total at it. A big thank you to Jo and Becky. I said in my last entry that it was great venue, well on the Sunday it was even better due to the cross country course going round 3 sides of the area where we were doing our static and flying displays. The birds all took it in their stride on the Sunday even though there was horses galloping past them for most of Sunday afternoon.
The displays went well. We had to do 2 flying displays each day. All the birds flew well. I put Bob (Gyr x Saker) into the display on Saturday. I was a bit worried about this. Even though he had been flying well at the centre and out on the farm, this was his first flying display and there is always that little bit of doubt at the back of my mind when a bird does it's first display. There was nothing to worry about though as he flew well and looked very good. In fact he looked so good on the Saturday that I flew him on the Sunday as well. The only down side is that I will now not use Bob for hunting crows as he is now part of the display team. The weekend was a long 1 as I was in the centre for 5am to open up, clean the centre and load the van to go through to Hopetoun House for 8.30am. We would finish up at 8pm.While it was a long 2 days with alot of hard work it was great fun and I loved every minute of it. The event was well run and everybody knew what they were doing.
And then July was over.
While July was finishing being very busy, August started quietly with no bookings for the first 2 days. This was great as it allowed me to get things back to normal after the weekend at Hopetoun House. The birds that were at Hopetoun House got a few days to relax and the birds that weren't used were readied for up and coming events. Things this month have been either very busy with 3 or 4 bookings in a day or nothing on. On the 5th Aug we had 2 corporate events to do at 2 different locations. Thankfully the venues were only a few miles apart so it was relatively easy to do. 1 was just outside Balloch and then it was down the road to Cameron House for the next 1 in the walled garden. Once we had finished the 1 in the walled garden we had to set up for a family fun session at our aviaries on the front lawn. So in the end we did 3 bookings in 3 different places. A big thank you to Stephanie who helped me that day.
The last few days have been the exact same either very busy or very quiet. Saying that now that it has rained for the last 2 days it has been very quiet. I haven't been able to fly the birds for myself due to the rain. The falcons haven't flown in a week due to work and weather which is not great. I have also been trying to fly Bella the new Barn Owl, but it has been difficult to get any consistency with her due to work and the weather. Jo has been a big help by flying her after she has finished work for the day. Bella has been a little bit skittish recently. Some days she has been very good but other days she can be spooked by cars coming into the car park which she has seen loads of time but some days it just spooks her. I am not sure what her problem is but hopefully by trying to fly her everyday we will get it sorted. Saying that she hasn't flown the last 2 days due to the rain but then again nothing has flown over the last 2 days. All I have been doing is cancelling bookings.
The only thing that I have been able to do over the last 2 days was a photo shoot for Glasgow Warriors rugby club. They are playing the Newcastle Falcons this Friday and wanted some pictures of some of the players standing with a few falcons for promotional purposes. The rain eased to a drizzle so we were able to get the photo shoot done. Good luck to the Warriors for the match this Friday.
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| Rory Pitman with Gigha (Peregrine) and Chris Fusaro with Bob (Gyr x Saker) |
While the weather and bookings have been making it difficult to work with the birds the 1 thing that doesn't stop is the constant rotation of birds (who's flying and who is being given a break to moult). The bird I am most excited about at the moment is Lobey (Turkmanian Eagle Owl). Lobey
To give you a bit of background on Lobey. He was the first bird I ever owned and he has proved to be real star. Always reliable around the centre, at Cameron House and corporate events. He is a bit of a character and I do need to watch him when he is flying as he is entered and has caught 7 rabbits, 1 hedgehog and chased most things that move even though he hasn't been trained or encouraged to hunt. I am looking forward to him being back on line. He will be replacing Duffy (Bengal Eagle Owl) who has been flying for a year now.
Lobey has about 2oz to loose in weight and then he should be good to go.
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| Lobey in action |
519
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
It's been busy
It's been 2 weeks since my last post. I do try and make time to do this every week but it is just not possible at the moment. The days are long - somewhere between 10 - 11hours and when I get in it is difficult to find time to do the blog. Eating tends to be a bigger priority, walking dogs and then sleep. It is then a case of getting up and doing it all over again.
The last 2 weeks have been busy wit a steady flow of bookings. In my last post I mentioned that we were out doing 3 demonstrations at weddings in 3 days, 2 of which were off site. All the bookings went well. Glenbarvie House went well and was a lovely venue. The venue for the display in St Andrews - St Salvators Quad was very impressive. As a location for a demonstration I was a little bit worried because I worried about what sort of problems the local sea gull problem would cause but they weren't that bad and we got the demonstration done. We did have 1 scare though Alba (Barn Owl) caught a light breeze that carried her over a wall and she disappeared. I had to go and look for her. I found her quickly as she was wearing a transmitter. She was sitting in someones garden just across the road. I won't fly my birds at a demonstration unless they are wearing a transmitter. In my opinion it is just good management and practice. I decided that Alba had done enough after that. Corrie (European Eagle Owl) was next up to fly and was brilliant even with the local seagull population shouting at him. A big thank you to Amanda for helping me with these 2 events.
After we got these bookings out the way it was time to get ready for the next big booking on the Sunday. Millerstain House. It was a good day with the weather. It was meant to rain and I thought it would be a long day standing in the rain but the sun shone and it was all good from that point of view. Brel had another wobble with his form not sure what his problem was as he had been very good. He went up into a tree and was slow to come back but did in the end. It happened in the first demonstration but he was perfect in the second demonstration of the day. Uist (Lugger Falcon) though did screw up though. He was flying well and looking good when he went a grabbed his tail and basically couldn't turn so he went off and sat in a tree. I had to go and look for him but he hadn't gone far and came straight back to me when I caught up with him
After all these booking that were a bit different it was back to the norm with bookings in the centre and over at Cameron House. Last weekend we did 13 bookings in 4 days. Friday was a marathon with 4 bookings, 3 of which were over a Cameron House. That was all easy, the marathon started as we left Cameron House. The A82 was closed due to a serious accident where someone had died. We had to take a detour. A 30 min journey to get back to the centre became a 4 hour marathon. The other highlight of the last weekend was Oran (Harris Hawk) who caught his second rabbit. We were doing a hawk walk at Cameron House and Oran who had been flying great but just at the end he slowed up and wouldn't follow on. I called for him and no sign. I thinking maybe he had moved when I hadn't been watching but I was sure he hadn't as I hadn't heard his bell. Next thing I see him dropping out of a tree straight down in to the undergrowth and there is a squeal. I knew straight away he had caught a rabbit. Sure enough he had. Not planned but it's second rabbit. I need to say a big thank you to Gordon who helped me all last week on his EMS placement from Glasgow University Vet School.
This week so far has been a bit quieter which has been nice. A slightly calmer pace. Today I spent the whole day in the centre something I haven't done in a week. This has been all great as it allows me to get ready for this weekend. This weekend is the Hopeton House International Horse Trials where we are doing 2 displays on Saturday and Sunday. I have been looking forward to this booking for a while. Hopeton House is a stunning venue. Hopefully the weather is ok. I don't want it to be too warm as this can cause problems for the birds and I certainly don't want rain. What I am looking for is a dry day which is mild with a gentle breeze to help the birds fly.
It will be a long weekend starting each day at 5am and finishing at about 8pm. That's ok though. I love doing these big events and what a venue. Finger crossed that it all goes well. Hopefully the birds all fly well. I will let you know hopefully next week.
498
The last 2 weeks have been busy wit a steady flow of bookings. In my last post I mentioned that we were out doing 3 demonstrations at weddings in 3 days, 2 of which were off site. All the bookings went well. Glenbarvie House went well and was a lovely venue. The venue for the display in St Andrews - St Salvators Quad was very impressive. As a location for a demonstration I was a little bit worried because I worried about what sort of problems the local sea gull problem would cause but they weren't that bad and we got the demonstration done. We did have 1 scare though Alba (Barn Owl) caught a light breeze that carried her over a wall and she disappeared. I had to go and look for her. I found her quickly as she was wearing a transmitter. She was sitting in someones garden just across the road. I won't fly my birds at a demonstration unless they are wearing a transmitter. In my opinion it is just good management and practice. I decided that Alba had done enough after that. Corrie (European Eagle Owl) was next up to fly and was brilliant even with the local seagull population shouting at him. A big thank you to Amanda for helping me with these 2 events.
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| St Salvators Quad |
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| Brel (Harris Hawk) at Salvators Quad |
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| The new car at Millerstain House |
After all these booking that were a bit different it was back to the norm with bookings in the centre and over at Cameron House. Last weekend we did 13 bookings in 4 days. Friday was a marathon with 4 bookings, 3 of which were over a Cameron House. That was all easy, the marathon started as we left Cameron House. The A82 was closed due to a serious accident where someone had died. We had to take a detour. A 30 min journey to get back to the centre became a 4 hour marathon. The other highlight of the last weekend was Oran (Harris Hawk) who caught his second rabbit. We were doing a hawk walk at Cameron House and Oran who had been flying great but just at the end he slowed up and wouldn't follow on. I called for him and no sign. I thinking maybe he had moved when I hadn't been watching but I was sure he hadn't as I hadn't heard his bell. Next thing I see him dropping out of a tree straight down in to the undergrowth and there is a squeal. I knew straight away he had caught a rabbit. Sure enough he had. Not planned but it's second rabbit. I need to say a big thank you to Gordon who helped me all last week on his EMS placement from Glasgow University Vet School.
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| Oran (Harris Hawk) with his 2nd rabbit |
This week so far has been a bit quieter which has been nice. A slightly calmer pace. Today I spent the whole day in the centre something I haven't done in a week. This has been all great as it allows me to get ready for this weekend. This weekend is the Hopeton House International Horse Trials where we are doing 2 displays on Saturday and Sunday. I have been looking forward to this booking for a while. Hopeton House is a stunning venue. Hopefully the weather is ok. I don't want it to be too warm as this can cause problems for the birds and I certainly don't want rain. What I am looking for is a dry day which is mild with a gentle breeze to help the birds fly.
It will be a long weekend starting each day at 5am and finishing at about 8pm. That's ok though. I love doing these big events and what a venue. Finger crossed that it all goes well. Hopefully the birds all fly well. I will let you know hopefully next week.
498
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Slow start
It is a bit scary to think we have entered the second half of the year. The first half of the year has flown in. The second half has now started and the first few days have been quiet. This is partly my fault as I have taken 2 days off. The first 2 full days I have taken off this year. It was meant to be Friday to Sunday as I was going to T in the Park but I ended up having to work Saturday so I only got 2 days off.
With me taking some time off this means that the birds are going to get some time off as well. On my day before T in the Park started most of the birds in the centre were given as much as they wanted to eat with lots of pigeon, quail, rat, mice and duck neck being used up with chicks only being given to the birds who would be flying on Saturday at the demonstration but don't worry they were all given a good feed after the demonstration with more quail, rat and mice being used up. I feel it does the birds good to have a few days off every now and then just to sit and relax. The birds work hard doing sessions and displays and I am sure they appreciate getting a few days off. My attitude is a lot of birds of prey in the wild don't fly for food everyday. For example if a Peregrine kills and eats a pigeon it is not going to hunt the next day. It will sit about for a day or 2 digesting the food. Birds of prey in the wild will gorge themselves so they don't have to go hunting everyday. In falconry it can be a bit un natural because we may want the bird to fly/hunt every day which is something it wouldn't do in the wild unless it had young to feed. There are other reasons why birds of prey in the wild will fly for example to find a mate, to find a territory, to escape predation and some birds of prey migrate. In captivity it is all to do with food - hunger. A few days of feeling full and well fed in some ways would be quite relaxing for them.
With all this extra food the birds have been getting the last 2 days have been spent getting the birds ready to fly again. Monday was spent weighing the birds and seeing who needed to loose weight. Tueasday I flew Bob (Gyr x Saker) and he was ok in his usual style as was Uist (Lugger Falcon). Sanda (Lanner Falcon) on the other hand was rubbish but her weight was a bit heavy. Today we flew all the falcons and they were all in good form with Gigha (Peregrine Tiercel) in great form. He was just picking his moments to come in and attack the lure flying with real determination. Oran (Harris Hawk) and Bella (Barn Owl) on the other hand need alittle bit of work put into them to get them back into the routine.This though was why I made sure I had no bookings in the days after T in the Park.
I do love flying Gigha (Peregrine Tiercel) to the lure. He is great fun to fly. It is just the sheer speed when he is fit that he comes in at to attack the lure. I don't know what speed he is doing but it's quick. He may not be the biggest. Sanda (Lanner Falcon) is 4oz heavier and a wing span that must be twice the size of his and Bob (Gyr x Saker) is 12oz heavier and look about half again as big as Gigha but when Gigha leaves the glove you can hear the power and when he grips on to the glove and flaps his wings you can feel the power and strength that he has. I love working with birds of prey but when I pick up Gigha to fly him I always get a feeling of anticipation, a little flutter of excitement in my stomach as I walk out on to the field to fly him.
The run up to T in the Park was steady with a few booking and the rain causing a few problems that we managed to deal with. Thankfully though the weather did hold for the corporate event at Dundas Castle where the sun shone and everyone had a great time. I was a little bit worried about Brel (Harris Hawk) after the demonstration at Chatelherault where he wasn't at his best but at Dundas he was his usual reliable self and flew brilliantly in a 7 group rotational event. This is where I will have 7 groups come 1 after another, with each group staying for say 20 mins to learn a little bit about falconry hold a bird and fly a bird and then they move on to their next activity. These events are hard work as you are always watching the clock as you don't want to run over as this could mess up the whole event yet you are trying to give everyone a chance to fly a bird. Brel is great at them as he just gets on with it and he was back on form for this 1.
Now that i have had a few days to get things back up and running again it is time to look at the next few days. Demonstrations at wedding are the order of the day for the next 3 days. 2 of the demonstrations are off site. The first 1 is at a hotel out near Falkirk, the second 1 is in St Andrews at St Salvators Quad and the third 1 is at Strathblane Country House where we are based. Now that may sound a lot but there is also a hawk walk over at Cameron House tomorrow once we get back from the 1st wedding demonstration, before the third wedding demonstration I have a 1 hour family fun session in the morning and a half day session in the afternoon. Once I have got through the next 3 days it is off to Kelso on Sunday to do a demonstration at a highland games. The next couple of days are busy to say the least. After a few days off and a more gentle pace about the centre it is good to get back into the routine and working with the birds again.
The other good news is I have a car again which I get on Friday. Just in time for going through to St Andrews and then down to Kelso. A big thankyou to my friend Brian for lending me his van and keeping me on the road.
477
With me taking some time off this means that the birds are going to get some time off as well. On my day before T in the Park started most of the birds in the centre were given as much as they wanted to eat with lots of pigeon, quail, rat, mice and duck neck being used up with chicks only being given to the birds who would be flying on Saturday at the demonstration but don't worry they were all given a good feed after the demonstration with more quail, rat and mice being used up. I feel it does the birds good to have a few days off every now and then just to sit and relax. The birds work hard doing sessions and displays and I am sure they appreciate getting a few days off. My attitude is a lot of birds of prey in the wild don't fly for food everyday. For example if a Peregrine kills and eats a pigeon it is not going to hunt the next day. It will sit about for a day or 2 digesting the food. Birds of prey in the wild will gorge themselves so they don't have to go hunting everyday. In falconry it can be a bit un natural because we may want the bird to fly/hunt every day which is something it wouldn't do in the wild unless it had young to feed. There are other reasons why birds of prey in the wild will fly for example to find a mate, to find a territory, to escape predation and some birds of prey migrate. In captivity it is all to do with food - hunger. A few days of feeling full and well fed in some ways would be quite relaxing for them.
With all this extra food the birds have been getting the last 2 days have been spent getting the birds ready to fly again. Monday was spent weighing the birds and seeing who needed to loose weight. Tueasday I flew Bob (Gyr x Saker) and he was ok in his usual style as was Uist (Lugger Falcon). Sanda (Lanner Falcon) on the other hand was rubbish but her weight was a bit heavy. Today we flew all the falcons and they were all in good form with Gigha (Peregrine Tiercel) in great form. He was just picking his moments to come in and attack the lure flying with real determination. Oran (Harris Hawk) and Bella (Barn Owl) on the other hand need alittle bit of work put into them to get them back into the routine.This though was why I made sure I had no bookings in the days after T in the Park.
I do love flying Gigha (Peregrine Tiercel) to the lure. He is great fun to fly. It is just the sheer speed when he is fit that he comes in at to attack the lure. I don't know what speed he is doing but it's quick. He may not be the biggest. Sanda (Lanner Falcon) is 4oz heavier and a wing span that must be twice the size of his and Bob (Gyr x Saker) is 12oz heavier and look about half again as big as Gigha but when Gigha leaves the glove you can hear the power and when he grips on to the glove and flaps his wings you can feel the power and strength that he has. I love working with birds of prey but when I pick up Gigha to fly him I always get a feeling of anticipation, a little flutter of excitement in my stomach as I walk out on to the field to fly him.
The run up to T in the Park was steady with a few booking and the rain causing a few problems that we managed to deal with. Thankfully though the weather did hold for the corporate event at Dundas Castle where the sun shone and everyone had a great time. I was a little bit worried about Brel (Harris Hawk) after the demonstration at Chatelherault where he wasn't at his best but at Dundas he was his usual reliable self and flew brilliantly in a 7 group rotational event. This is where I will have 7 groups come 1 after another, with each group staying for say 20 mins to learn a little bit about falconry hold a bird and fly a bird and then they move on to their next activity. These events are hard work as you are always watching the clock as you don't want to run over as this could mess up the whole event yet you are trying to give everyone a chance to fly a bird. Brel is great at them as he just gets on with it and he was back on form for this 1.
Now that i have had a few days to get things back up and running again it is time to look at the next few days. Demonstrations at wedding are the order of the day for the next 3 days. 2 of the demonstrations are off site. The first 1 is at a hotel out near Falkirk, the second 1 is in St Andrews at St Salvators Quad and the third 1 is at Strathblane Country House where we are based. Now that may sound a lot but there is also a hawk walk over at Cameron House tomorrow once we get back from the 1st wedding demonstration, before the third wedding demonstration I have a 1 hour family fun session in the morning and a half day session in the afternoon. Once I have got through the next 3 days it is off to Kelso on Sunday to do a demonstration at a highland games. The next couple of days are busy to say the least. After a few days off and a more gentle pace about the centre it is good to get back into the routine and working with the birds again.
The other good news is I have a car again which I get on Friday. Just in time for going through to St Andrews and then down to Kelso. A big thankyou to my friend Brian for lending me his van and keeping me on the road.
477
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
1st rabbit and rain
Late once again with the blog but it is getting done now.
The end of June is upon us and when I look back the main memory is rain. There was a lot. Several booking were cancelled due to it which was not good but that's 1 of those things when you work outdoors.
The weather hasn't been the only bad news. Last Thursday my the trusty Volvo came to the end of the road. When it starts blowing lots of blue smoke that's the end. I am now actively looking for a new car. A big thank you to Brian for lending me his van so I can get to work.
The last 2 weeks have been steady even with the rain making it difficult.
A highlight was doing a hawk walk at Cameron House for Brain Jackman who is a travel journalist for the Daily Telegraph. He also got the first wildscreen award for the script for the wildlife film Osprey and he has a real passion for nature/wildlife. I felt the pressure was on. Things got off to a brilliant start as I was explaining what was going to happen when I spotted a Osprey flying overhead which I pointed out to him and his wife. I looked on it as a good sign for the hawk walk. Oran (Harris Hawk) was brilliant and both Brian Jackman and his wife were very impressed and seemed to have a great time.
The following day was a bit different. We were off to do a demonstration at a school sports day. I have never had to do a display at 1 of those before but it went well and the birds flew well. Bookings like that are great because they are totally different to what I would do normally so they really change the routine of the day.
The next big incident was Oran catching his first rabbit last Thursday. This I would like to point was not planned but when a Harris Hawk sees an opportunity to catch something it tends to be game on. We were coming out of the woods behind Cameron House Hotel and I thought Oran had gone on ahead and was heading back to the aviaries as he does. We were just about to walk in that direction when I heard a quiet squeal somewhere behind me and I knew straight away Oran wasn't ahead but behind us. I doubled back and he was sitting on a rabbit that he had caught. This is his first rabbit and I was proud of him (a special moment) even if we hadn't been trying to catch it.
Since then things have been busy which is great but it does make finding time to work with some the birds difficult. It is always a challenge at this time of year. The diary is busy with booking but I still need to find time to work and fly some of the birds myself. Over the last weekend it was just too busy. On Saturday we had 4 bookings. I did 3 and Jo did a demonstration for the wedding at Strathblane Country House Hotel where we are based. I spent the morning in the centre and the afternoon over at Cameron House where we had 2 hawk walks booked. Oran did both and spent the afternoon looking like he was a mission to catch his 2nd rabbit. With it being so busy some of the birds were given a well earned weekend off.
Sunday was was busy with a highland games at Chatelherault just outside Hamilton. I was a bit worried about this event. The concern was the weather and would it stay dry. Thankfully it did and we were able to get the demonstrations done and we had good numbers come and watch and look at the birds when they we doing the static display. The only down side Brel (Harris Hawk) who is normally very reliable at these type of events was not that responsive. Sometimes he was great but at other he was a bit reluctant to come to the glove. Not sure what his problem was. Hopefully it was a 1 off.
While things have been steady with bookings and the rain has made it a bit difficult to get things done with the birds we have still been flying and working with the birds with 13 out of the 19 birds we have flying in bookings or in training.This is 1 of the things I like about a small team of birds to work with. Yes it sounds great to say I've got 50 or 60 birds but how many are being flown at any 1 time and how many are sitting about as there is no time to fly them. With a small team you can more time into them individually and also spend more time flying them. The days at the moment usually finish with the falcons being flown. All them are doing ok. Sanda (Lanner Falcon) and Uist (Lugger Falcon) have been there usual reliable selves, Gigha (Peregrine) is now flying again and looking great and then there is Bob(Gyr x Saker), he is flying and will come into and attack the lure every so often when being flown but other times he is just flying about. I am hopefully going to get him onto a farm that I can fly on which doesn't have a lot of trees on it so hopefully I can push him a bit more and see what he does.
We are making slow progress with Bella the young Barn Owl but today she made real progress flying close on 30m to the glove and being quick when called. I am hoping to have her flying free in the next week or so which will be great. Up until today it has been slow going but it is like she has worked out what is expected of her and she is doing it. Hopefully we will get the same tomorrow.
The coming week is steady. We have a corporate event at the beginning of next week with should be good fun over at Dundas Castle - a venue that we are at on a regular basis. It is also game fair weekend. This is for all those interested in hunting, shooting, fishing, falconry and country pursuits. I treat it a bit like a trade fair. it is where I can get work wear and equipment for the birds. On the shopping list this year are a hood for Sanda, a few nobel bells for putting on the birds, a new falconry bag, maybe a new glove, mole skins, jumper, a pair of walking boots and maybe 1 or 2 things that take my fancy.
458
The end of June is upon us and when I look back the main memory is rain. There was a lot. Several booking were cancelled due to it which was not good but that's 1 of those things when you work outdoors.
The weather hasn't been the only bad news. Last Thursday my the trusty Volvo came to the end of the road. When it starts blowing lots of blue smoke that's the end. I am now actively looking for a new car. A big thank you to Brian for lending me his van so I can get to work.
The last 2 weeks have been steady even with the rain making it difficult.
A highlight was doing a hawk walk at Cameron House for Brain Jackman who is a travel journalist for the Daily Telegraph. He also got the first wildscreen award for the script for the wildlife film Osprey and he has a real passion for nature/wildlife. I felt the pressure was on. Things got off to a brilliant start as I was explaining what was going to happen when I spotted a Osprey flying overhead which I pointed out to him and his wife. I looked on it as a good sign for the hawk walk. Oran (Harris Hawk) was brilliant and both Brian Jackman and his wife were very impressed and seemed to have a great time.
The following day was a bit different. We were off to do a demonstration at a school sports day. I have never had to do a display at 1 of those before but it went well and the birds flew well. Bookings like that are great because they are totally different to what I would do normally so they really change the routine of the day.
The next big incident was Oran catching his first rabbit last Thursday. This I would like to point was not planned but when a Harris Hawk sees an opportunity to catch something it tends to be game on. We were coming out of the woods behind Cameron House Hotel and I thought Oran had gone on ahead and was heading back to the aviaries as he does. We were just about to walk in that direction when I heard a quiet squeal somewhere behind me and I knew straight away Oran wasn't ahead but behind us. I doubled back and he was sitting on a rabbit that he had caught. This is his first rabbit and I was proud of him (a special moment) even if we hadn't been trying to catch it.
Since then things have been busy which is great but it does make finding time to work with some the birds difficult. It is always a challenge at this time of year. The diary is busy with booking but I still need to find time to work and fly some of the birds myself. Over the last weekend it was just too busy. On Saturday we had 4 bookings. I did 3 and Jo did a demonstration for the wedding at Strathblane Country House Hotel where we are based. I spent the morning in the centre and the afternoon over at Cameron House where we had 2 hawk walks booked. Oran did both and spent the afternoon looking like he was a mission to catch his 2nd rabbit. With it being so busy some of the birds were given a well earned weekend off.
Sunday was was busy with a highland games at Chatelherault just outside Hamilton. I was a bit worried about this event. The concern was the weather and would it stay dry. Thankfully it did and we were able to get the demonstrations done and we had good numbers come and watch and look at the birds when they we doing the static display. The only down side Brel (Harris Hawk) who is normally very reliable at these type of events was not that responsive. Sometimes he was great but at other he was a bit reluctant to come to the glove. Not sure what his problem was. Hopefully it was a 1 off.
While things have been steady with bookings and the rain has made it a bit difficult to get things done with the birds we have still been flying and working with the birds with 13 out of the 19 birds we have flying in bookings or in training.This is 1 of the things I like about a small team of birds to work with. Yes it sounds great to say I've got 50 or 60 birds but how many are being flown at any 1 time and how many are sitting about as there is no time to fly them. With a small team you can more time into them individually and also spend more time flying them. The days at the moment usually finish with the falcons being flown. All them are doing ok. Sanda (Lanner Falcon) and Uist (Lugger Falcon) have been there usual reliable selves, Gigha (Peregrine) is now flying again and looking great and then there is Bob(Gyr x Saker), he is flying and will come into and attack the lure every so often when being flown but other times he is just flying about. I am hopefully going to get him onto a farm that I can fly on which doesn't have a lot of trees on it so hopefully I can push him a bit more and see what he does.
We are making slow progress with Bella the young Barn Owl but today she made real progress flying close on 30m to the glove and being quick when called. I am hoping to have her flying free in the next week or so which will be great. Up until today it has been slow going but it is like she has worked out what is expected of her and she is doing it. Hopefully we will get the same tomorrow.
The coming week is steady. We have a corporate event at the beginning of next week with should be good fun over at Dundas Castle - a venue that we are at on a regular basis. It is also game fair weekend. This is for all those interested in hunting, shooting, fishing, falconry and country pursuits. I treat it a bit like a trade fair. it is where I can get work wear and equipment for the birds. On the shopping list this year are a hood for Sanda, a few nobel bells for putting on the birds, a new falconry bag, maybe a new glove, mole skins, jumper, a pair of walking boots and maybe 1 or 2 things that take my fancy.
458
Monday, 13 June 2011
I'm back
Ok I'm back. Moving house is a busy stressful time. There are still thing to sorted but at least I can start to get things back to normal in the centre again.
It has been over 2 weeks since I last made an entry in the blog and things have been a bit busy.
We have been at the Drymen Show doing a static which was great fun but hard work as it was very windy and every so often there was heavy rain showers coming in which would only last a few minutes and then blow over and the sun would come out. The weather conditions were hard going but the birds all did well. The Sunday was spent in the centre which after the Saturday was great. It was a busy day with the afternoon fully booked with a half day session.
I was then going to try and keep the following week clear to move house which didn't quite happen the way I wanted it to. I needed to go up to the centre every day to open up, clean the aviaries and feed the birds. Also at the end of the day I would need to go up and lock up. That is a given. The thing is I ended up picking up 6 bookings and having to go and collect bird food. The bookings were all straight forward and went well. Thursday and Friday were both full on days.
On Thursday I made my 3 monthly trip to go and collect the food for the birds. There was the usual assortment of food - chicks (which is the birds main food), quail, rats, mice and duck neck. I kind of messed up with the order and ordered an extra 4 boxes of chicks. This did cause a bit of a problem as I struggled to fit it into the freezers but I got there in the end though. I just had to jam or weigh the freezer doors down so they wouldn't burst open. Artemis got a deers head which I wasn't planning to de-frost as there was just no space for it in the freezers.
The last week has been steady with a quiet mid week and a fully booked weekend. In some ways this has been great. May was full on very busy with a lot of bookings (a fair few out on the road at different locations) and with the whole moving house it has been good to get a few quiet days just to get things back into the routine in the centre.
While it has been a bit quiet with bookings this allows me to fly and work with the birds. Sanda(Lanner Falcon) is back flying again. I am getting her ready for a large event at the end of July. I will reveal all closer to the day. Sanda is 9 years old and 1 of the original team. Normally very reliable unless it is getting to the end of her season and then she can be a bit wayward. To get her flying because of her age and experience it is just a case of take her weight down to 1lb8oz and let her go. She will normally go and sit some (she is not meant to do this) and take a minute to look about and then she will fly to the lure and this will happen for a few days and then she normally stops sitting and gets on with it.
Uist (Lugger Falcon) is flying well also but I may give him a week off at the end of the month just to break up the routine for him. I have also been having real fun with him by moving about a lot when flying him so he is really having to work to try and catch the lure. I have even been running while swinging the lure just to get into a position which may catch him out. There have been a couple of time where he has expected me to be in 1 spot only to find I have doubled back on myself and I am in another spot. It is no mean feat to run and swinging a lureat the same time with a falcon chasing you. It does make the lure work even more fun.
Normally I would have 2 falcons flying at this time of year but not this year. Bob (GyrxSaker) is flying free. I am still not convinced that he knows what he is doing but he is flying so he is getting fit, he comes to the lure when called and will stoop to the lure every so often. Just to give abit of info on Bob. He is second hand. I am always very wary about taking on a second hand bird as you could be getting someones problems or mistakes. Lets just say Bob had some problems when I got him just over a year ago. I tried to fly him last year and it was a bit of a disaster but hopefully this year he will fly better and we should have a better season together. Time will tell.
That's 3 falcons now flying. There is 1 more - Gigha (Peregrine). He is not flying just yet but hopefully at some point this week he will. I will start working with him to get him ready for this event at the end of July. I always love flying Gigha. It is just the thrill of flying a Peregrine even if it just to a lure. Once he gets fit I know I need to be focused or he will catch me out. You can watch him in action on our Fcaebook page or on You Tube. Just look under Strathblane Falconry.
On the down side it looks like I won't be getting the Prairie Falcon this year which is a shame as I was looking really forward to training and working with it. I spoke to the breeder and he told me that he has had a bad season for breeding and there is no Prairie Falcon for me. These things happen. I was going to get something else but I think I may just work through the summer with what I have got and hold out for next year.
The other big news is that Bella (Barn Owl) is now up at the centre full time. She was put in an aviary where she spent a week and then she had her anklets and jesses put on. Now it is time to train her. This has already started in the fact that she has gone from getting 3 or 4 whole chicks to 3 chicks with the yolk sack removed to 2 chicks with the yolk sack removed as we increase her hunger so she will be responsive when called to the glove.
The coming week is busy with the weekend being fully booked with Friday and Saturday being the 2 busiest days. Both being spent doing events out on the road 1 of which is at a sports day. The days are also busy as well as I am working / flying 13 out of 19 birds that I have in the centre. Just as well the days are long at the moment.
442
It has been over 2 weeks since I last made an entry in the blog and things have been a bit busy.
We have been at the Drymen Show doing a static which was great fun but hard work as it was very windy and every so often there was heavy rain showers coming in which would only last a few minutes and then blow over and the sun would come out. The weather conditions were hard going but the birds all did well. The Sunday was spent in the centre which after the Saturday was great. It was a busy day with the afternoon fully booked with a half day session.
I was then going to try and keep the following week clear to move house which didn't quite happen the way I wanted it to. I needed to go up to the centre every day to open up, clean the aviaries and feed the birds. Also at the end of the day I would need to go up and lock up. That is a given. The thing is I ended up picking up 6 bookings and having to go and collect bird food. The bookings were all straight forward and went well. Thursday and Friday were both full on days.
On Thursday I made my 3 monthly trip to go and collect the food for the birds. There was the usual assortment of food - chicks (which is the birds main food), quail, rats, mice and duck neck. I kind of messed up with the order and ordered an extra 4 boxes of chicks. This did cause a bit of a problem as I struggled to fit it into the freezers but I got there in the end though. I just had to jam or weigh the freezer doors down so they wouldn't burst open. Artemis got a deers head which I wasn't planning to de-frost as there was just no space for it in the freezers.
The last week has been steady with a quiet mid week and a fully booked weekend. In some ways this has been great. May was full on very busy with a lot of bookings (a fair few out on the road at different locations) and with the whole moving house it has been good to get a few quiet days just to get things back into the routine in the centre.
While it has been a bit quiet with bookings this allows me to fly and work with the birds. Sanda(Lanner Falcon) is back flying again. I am getting her ready for a large event at the end of July. I will reveal all closer to the day. Sanda is 9 years old and 1 of the original team. Normally very reliable unless it is getting to the end of her season and then she can be a bit wayward. To get her flying because of her age and experience it is just a case of take her weight down to 1lb8oz and let her go. She will normally go and sit some (she is not meant to do this) and take a minute to look about and then she will fly to the lure and this will happen for a few days and then she normally stops sitting and gets on with it.
 |
| Sanda Lanner Falcon |
 | ||
| Uist Lugger Falcon |
That's 3 falcons now flying. There is 1 more - Gigha (Peregrine). He is not flying just yet but hopefully at some point this week he will. I will start working with him to get him ready for this event at the end of July. I always love flying Gigha. It is just the thrill of flying a Peregrine even if it just to a lure. Once he gets fit I know I need to be focused or he will catch me out. You can watch him in action on our Fcaebook page or on You Tube. Just look under Strathblane Falconry.
 | ||
| Gigha the Peregrine |
The other big news is that Bella (Barn Owl) is now up at the centre full time. She was put in an aviary where she spent a week and then she had her anklets and jesses put on. Now it is time to train her. This has already started in the fact that she has gone from getting 3 or 4 whole chicks to 3 chicks with the yolk sack removed to 2 chicks with the yolk sack removed as we increase her hunger so she will be responsive when called to the glove.
The coming week is busy with the weekend being fully booked with Friday and Saturday being the 2 busiest days. Both being spent doing events out on the road 1 of which is at a sports day. The days are also busy as well as I am working / flying 13 out of 19 birds that I have in the centre. Just as well the days are long at the moment.
442
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